Benise - 25 Years of Passion!

BENISE: It all began with a dream and a guitar.

(audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping) The passion, the romance, the old-world charm of Spain, you can see how this country inspires such timeless music.

Nothing is more beautiful than a Spanish melody played on a Spanish guitar.

(singers vocalizing) (singers vocalizing) Hey, hey, hey, hey Hey, hey, hey, hey (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: When I started the band, I wanted to play out.

I hadn't played out much, so I really, that was my focus, just to find other musicians and have fun again.

I started the band, and- and I found there was just nowhere to play.

So we started performing on the streets for free and for fun.

And it's really true, when you follow your dreams, when you follow your passion, when you follow what's in your heart, everything else falls into place.

You know, we had a bunch of people around us and everybody asking for CDs and just so excited about this new music they never really heard before.

That's when I knew there was something there.

We started to build a fan base throughout Southern California, and we have- we have great, loyal fans.

They would bring their friends, their friends would bring their friends, and so it snowballed.

I started renting out theaters and putting on these elaborate concerts with cirque performers, African drummers, flamenco dancers, each show bigger than the last.

(audience clapping and cheering) And before I knew it, we went from the streets to performing around the world.

(wind howling) (footsteps) (claps) Ale Ale (vocalizing) (clapping) Ale, hey!

Ale (vocalizing) (clapping) Ale (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: The City of Lights, I'm always asked where I find my inspiration.

If you're lucky enough to have traveled to Europe, then you'd know.

Whether it's walking along the quaint streets of Paris or the canals of Venice, you can find all you dreamed of and more just around the next turn.

(bird calling) (wings flapping) (thunder) (rain pours) (thunder) (rain pours) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: I've always loved to travel and just soak in what I can, just try to live the music, try to find local musicians, and experience the music firsthand.

(clapping) (clapping) (audience clapping and cheering) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (waves rushing) BENISE: Cuba will always hold a special place in my heart.

(horse neighing) There's something magical here.

Walking through Old Havana is like walking back in time, back to the days of the Old Tropicana Club.

(birds chirping) The spirit of their people and the rhythm of their music will stay with me always.

Como si fuera la ltima vez La ltima vez Ay, besame mucho Besame Besame mucho Besame Besame mucho Besame Besame mucho Besame Besame mucho Quiero que me beses Como si fuera, si fuera la ltima vez (audience clapping and cheering) (screen whooshing) BENISE: Imagine the world with no borders, no boundaries, no prejudice.

(singing in foreign language) The more I travel, the more I realize that music really is the universal language.

It can unite us when we stray, give us faith when we're adrift, and fill us with hope when all is lost.

(singing in foreign language) Together, we can create a new spirit, a new dream, a new prayer, a new love, a new peace, a new world.

I heard there was a secret chord That David played and it pleased the Lord But you don't really care for music Do ya Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth The minor fall and the major lift The baffled king composing Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu, ooh, ooh Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu, ooh, ooh, jah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu, ooh, ooh, jah Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelujah (clapping) Hallelu, ooh, jah (clapping) Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu, ooh, ooh, jah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: There's a club by my house called Galletto's.

I needed a place to play, so I walked in there.

I asked the owner, I said, "Do you have a band?"

He says, "No."

So I started playing there, played there for maybe a year, year and a half, and we built this huge following and out of that came a song called "Galletto's Jam."

(clapping) (feet tapping) (feet tapping) (hands clapping) (people shouting) (feet tapping) (hands clapping) (people shouting) (feet tapping) (hands clapping) (people shouting) (audience cheering) (feet tapping) (hands clapping) (feet tapping) (hands clapping) (audience cheering) (audience cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping) (audience clapping) (audience clapping) (audience clapping) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: The lands of enchantment.

Timeless beauty that seduces you and leaves you breathless.

There's no map to this destination.

This is the road less traveled.

(audience clapping and cheering) (vocalizing) BENISE: What a magical place China is.

(vocalizing) It's always been a dream of mine to travel and perform there.

And here we are, just a band of gypsyies caravanning from one town to the next.

The beautiful people of China embraced us and inspired us.

Proving once again, music is the universal language.

It can connect us, heal us, and unite us.

(audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: Yeah, "Salsa Salsa" is real high energy, and I really wanted to bring across what, what I encountered when I went to Cuba.

(audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) BENISE: So a lot of people ask me, how did I end up playing Spanish guitar?

A kid from the Midwest.

I started playing rock and roll, just hours and hours practicing guitar.

I moved out to Los Angeles.

One day I was just dialing through the radio and came across Spanish guitar, which I was really never exposed to.

I fell in love with it.

I mean, immediately, before the song was over with, I- I knew that's what I was going to do.

That's what I should have always been doing.

(chuckles) (choir vocalizes) (choir vocalizes) (audience clapping and cheering) Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder Thunder (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (audience claps) (audience clapping and cheering) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) (clapping) Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea (audience clapping and cheering) Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea Bamboleo, bambolea (audience clapping and cheering) (audience clapping and cheering) (vocalizing) (vocalizing) (vocalizing)